Fixated - Bates Motel Alex Romero & Norma Bates
by EyeWriteFicsYaDigg
Summary: Post Season 2. Alex Romero develops deeper feelings for Norma, Meanwhile there's someone else who seems to be obsessing over Norma (and it ain't her son!), and she looks to Alex for help... Rated M to be safe because I am not going to limit myself to anything!
1. Chapter 1

It was about 11 p.m. Alex Romero was in his motel room, watching some sports. He was still wearing the suit he had on that day for a hearing, and hadn't felt like getting out of it yet. And honestly, he didn't care much about what was on the television.

He remembered another hearing he had gone to a couple of weeks ago. Kyle Miller, the man Romero had arrested for the murder of Blaire Watson, had made an appeal to the court, saying that he was treated unfairly and that there wasn't enough evidence to have him convicted. Of course, Miller didn't get away with it. He wasn't going to. He was going to be executed for his crime. Alex knew all along that Miller's appeal wasn't going to get Miller out of his sentence, but he had still been stressed about attending the hearing. Alex knew Miller was a bad man, and guilty. So why was this all bothering him?

The whole day had been pretty exhausting. Alex loosened his tie a bit and tried to distract himself from all the thoughts haunting him. But still, even with the television on, he couldn't stop himself. His home, destroyed. He still had nowhere to go right now but this motel. Blair Watson's murder...and Norman Bates. Something wasn't right with him. Something tugged at him, he sensed it. Nick Ford. How did Norma get so involved? And there was Dylan...How did Norma get close to George, that lawyer...and exactly how close are they? Why did it even matter. Well it did matter because Norma and her sons had a way of getting into trouble. What was it about the Bates family?

He felt overwhelmed, and was angry at himself for this. As Sheriff, he wasn't supposed to be so affected by everything. He was supposed to be unmoved, accustomed. After all, he was probably the only person in town who wasn't either crazy or doing drugs. Alex turned off the television, and closed his eyes and exhaled. Maybe the silence would help. It was an unusually quiet night. Alex went back to thinking about Norma. He remembered when Norma, the woman he once had arrested, was cleaning his wound that day. The irony. It was strange being that close to her. And then she mentioned Nick Ford. He saw her face when she agreed to not get involved with Ford in any way. It was that anxious face, and he saw guilt in it too. In that moment he wondered exactly how involved she had gotten with Ford and if she would take his advice. She definitely had a knack for getting involved with the wrong people. Norma had been through so much lately, and he felt bad about everything she had gone through ever since she arrived at that town. He felt somewhat...bad about insisting on the polygraph test, but it was something that needed to be done. Luckily, the past few weeks had been calmer, and Norma and her family seemed safe and just fine.

It was a little past 11. Alex and got up from his bed, poured himself a drink, and went outside to get some fresh air. He had an urge to look up at Norma's window again, just to see if she had dealt with the curtain situation. Just out of curiosity, nothing else. It was something he should've made her aware of earlier than he did, but he wasn't sure exactly how to bring it up. He felt somewhat ashamed, just as he did the other nights, but decided to just take a quick glance. And so he did. The lights were off. He couldn't see anything. She was probably asleep. Alex went back inside his room and closed the door. He went back to the bed and sat up against the headboard. He drank the rest of the alcohol and then put the glass on the table beside him. He would just take a shower and get some rest soon. If he stayed up any longer, he would keep thinking, and not end up getting any sleep at all. And sleep is something he desperately needed. But there he went, thinking again. The moments replayed in his head of the night when he saw Norma through her window the first time. It was on the third night he stayed there at the motel. First, she was taking off her earrings, and then next thing he knew, she was unbuttoning her shirt. She was facing a mirror across from her apparently, but he could see her profile view. Once unbuttoned, her shirt fell below her shoulders and then she took it off completely, turning behind her and tossing it on the bed. She took off her skirt and did the same. Just her body, covered by nothing but white undergarments, was there for his (and all the other guests') viewing. At that point, he wasn't thinking about how irrational or irritating she could be. Norma was an attractive woman, and seeing her like this had Alex feeling lustful and even guilty, but he couldn't look away for that moment.

It hit him how his old partner, who he had trusted, turned out to be a criminal and had been having an affair with Norma. She seduced him, he seduced her, and he must've been in her room so many times. Alex shuddered at the thought, which repulsed him.

He went back to thinking about that night. Norma had turned ever so slightly away from the window and started unlatching her bra, and he looked away right then. Still, tonight the curiosity of how she looked without any clothes on at all taunted him. And this annoyed him. Out of everything, this was what he was going to go to bed thinking about? He took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie, lying back, trying to get more comfortable. He tried to imagine how she would look, what she would decide to wear after her shower. How her hair looked wet and-

And then there was a knock on the door, which startled Alex. What was Norma doing knocking at his door at this hour? He knew it would be her; no one else would randomly knock on his motel room nearing midnight. Actually, no one else would knock at all. Alex collected himself and opened the door, and sure enough it was Norma.

"Hello," said Norma softly. She seemed to scan his body, noticing the clothes he had on.

"Hi," he replied, as she looked past him into the room. He was wondering what it was that was keeping her up at night.

"So how is everything, Alex?" she said, with a soft smile on her face. He was still not entirely used to Norma calling him by his first name. Not that he minded. He could see something had her nervous. Well, more nervous than usual. "Do you need any towels, or...Well, I would ask if you needed your laundry done, but I know how feel about that," she said, adding a chuckle at the end.

"I'm fine, thanks."

"Alright, alright," she said defensively, and then let out a sigh. "Listen, I would really appreciate it if you did something for me." She paused. "I know you have done so much already, but this is really important, and you're one of the only people I trust in this town-" she sighed again, and looked around. "Just be on the look out for me and Norman. And Dylan, I mean, Dylan says he can take care of himself, but-"

"Why, who are we talking about here?"

"A guy I saw at the market," she answered.

The woman was obviously paranoid. But he couldn't blame her.

"Norma, I can't help you unless you tell me who it is. Does this have anything to do with someone Nick Ford might know?"

"No! No no," she exclaimed, her eyes widening, offended even that he would think she was still involved in anything of the sort.

"Has this person threatened you?"

"No," she answered glaring at him.

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. Just get some sleep," said Alex, taking one last look at her and then turning to close the door. Norma put her hand on the door to stop it from closing, and Alex sighed, knowing already what was coming. Some sort of shout fest.

"Are you not taking me seriously right now?" she asked in an annoyed tone. "I have been tormented by the people in this crazy ass town! I am not going to let anything happen to my family, and I am telling you right now, this is not a good person," she said, almost in a threatening tone, as if to emphasize.

Alex Romero could see that Norma's blue eyes were wet, as if she were about to cry, but she didn't. She was right, she had been through a lot, and she had reason to be worried. But maybe the trauma of her past events in White Pine Bay made her paranoid. Nevertheless, he decided he would help.

"Fine. Tell me who he is."

"I don't know his name; He's about 45 to 50 years old, brown hair, tall and thin," she said quickly. "I saw him today at the market when I was buying some things." Norma looked away from Alex and put her hands on her hips, looking out to the parking lot and road.

"And?"

"And...?" she said, a little frustrated. "And, well, keep an eye out for him. I just need you to park your car by the house just in case. So if he finds me somehow, he'll see there's police there...And then you can walk back to your room. Ok?" she said, pleading.

"But-"

"You never know when a crazy person is going to knock on your door in the middle of the night."

"That's true," he said, raising his eyebrows.

Norma inhaled and exhaled sharply.

"Were you followed?" he asked, trying to see if he could get any more information out of her.

"I don't think so."

"Why are you worried? Did he do anything...?"

"He was staring at me."

Alex raised his eyebrows again.

"Staring at you..-"

"Yes, staring at me. It was weird and threatening."

"Threatening how?"

"I could tell, it was just weird. He stared the whole time and I felt threatened!" Her eyes widened.

"So he stared at you."

"Yes!"

Romero couldn't help but chuckle a little, to which Norma looked angered by. But she didn't say anything.

"Norma, have you ever considered maybe he was just staring at you...? I mean, just to look."

"No, it wasn't normal. It was a weird stare. I know what I'm telling you."

Alex was certain that man at the market was just a creepy, but harmless guy who saw Norma and developed a crush on her and made it, well, extremely obvious. Nevertheless, he paused and then gave a nod. He would give her peace of mind.

"Ok, I'll go park my car and I'll be on the lookout for him."

"Thank you," she said, relieved. "Thank you so much."

Alex nodded, looking into her eyes. He could see how much it meant to Norma. She really was worried and affected. Norma seemed to be strong but fragile at the same time. It was strange, and Alex felt drawn to her. They both stood there for a moment.

"Let me get my keys and I'll park the car."

"Ok, then I'll go back up to the house," she said smiling. "Thank you for everything."

"It's ok, you're welcome."

"Good night," she said as she turned away from him. Alex watched as Norma walked back to the house. He got his keys and parked his vehicle right by the stairs of her house as he said he would. Then he went back to this room, and stayed up a while longer, just to make sure he was right, and that Norma's market guy was harmless. It appeared that he was.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, unlike the previous, started off a calm one. Alex Romero woke up later than usual. He put on his clothes for work and walked to the motel office to get coffee. Strangely, no one was there. No Norman, no Emma, (they had probably left to school by now), no Dylan, and no Norma. The coffee though, smelled fresh and the computer was on.

Suddenly, the door of the room in the back of the office opened, and there was a barefoot Norma putting on black heels clumsily with one hand, and holding her more casual clothes, which Alex assumed she had been wearing earlier, with her other arm. She was wearing a dark blood red dress, sophisticated but revealing and tight fitting. She had on red lipstick that matched her dress, and her locks fell upon her face beautifully. Alex had never really seen her dressed up like that before and he couldn't help but stare. Once she finished putting on her heels, she looked up, a deer in the headlights look on her face, as if she'd been caught doing something bad.

"Good morning," she said, casually smiling and regaining posture. Norma sat down on the office desk, before quickly opening a drawer and stuffing her clothes there quickly. "I didn't even notice you were there for a second. How's the coffee?" Her tone was friendly.

Alex took a few seconds to respond, and got angry at himself for being distracted over her. He hoped she hadn't noticed.

"Haven't had any yet," he said, turning away from her and getting a cup.

Alex poured himself some coffee and took a quick glance back at Norma, who was using the computer now, looking bored.

"Going somewhere?"

"Oh, yeah, I know I'm overdressed," she laughed nervously. "I have to put the sign up so people will know I'll be back in a while. It wont take long though, hopefully."

Norma sighed heavily.

"I need to fix something."

Alex sipped his coffee and wondered if this had to do with George. He figured they had gotten very, very close recently. But he also realized he hadn't seen him around lately. Maybe she and George had some kind of argument and she was going to try to win him back. Obviously, if that was the case, it was going to work. Part of him wanted to know exactly what was going on, but he didn't dare ask any further. There was another part of him that didn't really want to know why Norma was dressed up like that or who for. It would only annoy him.

"Well, I'm going to, uh, get going," said Alex, who headed for the door.

Norma interrupted him half sentence. "If there's no sign of that guy I told you about last night today, you can park your car in front of your room again."

"Alright."

Suddenly it hit Alex, the strangeness of the earlier situation. Something he hadn't thought about because he was busy just, well, looking at Norma. Why was Norma changing in the back room out of her clothes? Why didn't she already get dressed in her house earlier?

"So is the coffee good?" Norma asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yeah," he said giving her a quick smile.

"I'll pour you some more in a to go cup so you can take it to work. I have some of those lying around here somewhere. You'd think I was going to open a new coffee business or something. You know, that wouldn't be a bad idea..."

Alex was going to stop her, but didn't. He simply stayed by the door, listening to her talk. Sometimes her little rants were, well, he hated to say it, cute. Norma had opened some cabinets and was shuffling through some things.

"Here we go," she said, satisfied with herself as she found the cups and lids. Norma took one of each out and went to the coffee machine and poured. Alex drank more of his coffee and took advantage of the fact that Norma wasn't paying attention at him to stare at her. Why was he becoming obsessive about her? He took in everything he could of her face and body in the few seconds he had. Her hair, her face, her curves, her legs. He caught everything from her chest rising and falling slowly with her breathing, to the curve of her lower back. Once she put the lid on the cup and walked over to him, Alex took his eyes off her body and looked back at her face, which didn't make things easier, because he found himself not being able to keep from looking into her eyes. Everything about her was so distracting, and it didn't help that she was dressed up extra nice today. Norma looked back at Alex as she walked towards him and he was unable to break eye contact.

"You done with that?" asked Norma, signaling at his almost empty cup of coffee.

He nodded and she took the cup from him.

"Alright, here. Hopefully it stays hot," she said giving a slight smile as she handed the new cup over to him.

"Yeah." Alex glanced away quickly and took the cup in his hand, his fingertips brushing hers slightly. "Thanks."

Norma nodded and Alex opened the door to leave. Once outside, he walked to his car and got inside, not looking back. He let out a huge sigh. Sometimes when he was around Norma he felt strange. Like there was something held back and uneasy. There was a strange energy between them. Alex didn't know if it was good or bad, but Norma made him feel out of control. In many ways. She was a puzzle he never got to piece together completely, and probably never would.


	3. Chapter 3

The night before, she had decided she was going to see George. She knew she would have to wait until Norman left for school to change into what she was going to wear and put on some extra make up. Her son was sensitive and she knew he would feel jealous and protective of her if he found out. He couldn't. Norma didn't want to do anything to trigger something in Norman, especially since things had been going well lately.

So now she was driving to George's house. She wasn't sure how exactly to approach him. But she was dressed at her absolute best and prepared to apologize again. She felt stupid for doing this in some ways. For one, she wasn't exactly romantically or sexually attracted to him. And also, she felt he did deserve, to an extent, the words she shouted at him. But she wanted to fix things with George. She had overreacted, maybe... And she couldn't afford to lose her place in the council anytime soon. There was also the fact that George was an overall good and normal guy. Normal wasn't something you got in this town easily. She wanted normal.

The past few weeks had been, well, just that. Normal. Ever since Norman passed the polygraph test. Norma did not ask about how he passed it. Or what he thought now. Nothing seemed to be wrong anymore in Norman's life, or in hers. In fact, now she was as close to both her sons as she had been in a while. Dylan had even moved back in. But on the inside, Norma still felt uneasy and apprehensive. Maybe being in George's life again would fix that.

Once she arrived, Norma parked her car outside George's home and went walking to his door. After about three steps, she hurried back to her car, and took one last look at herself in the car window to make sure she looked fine. She always felt somewhat unsure. Pleased with herself, Norma straightened herself up and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. She quickly walked to the door and knocked. A few moments later, he opened the door.

"Hello," Norma said, adding the most convincing smile she could. George stared at her for a moment, confused, before running his eyes down Norma's body. Norma knew she looked good, and she had suspected she would get this reaction, but she still felt slightly insecure and even uncomfortable. As if he was too close, finding mistakes as he ran his eyes all over her. She broke his reaction, taking two steps toward him and hugging him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry about everything," she said, and looked back at his face.

George took her hips softly in his hands and pulled her away.

"Norma, I really can't," he said, speaking in a low tone.

"What is it? I said I'm sorry. I know how I acted, and wouldn't it be nice if we just put all that behind us and started over?" she said, putting her hand on his cheek.

"I appreciate the apology, but I realized that it was probably for the best, don't you think Norma?...Besides I'm, I'm involved with somebody now. And she's here, so keep it down, ok?"

"What?"

"I mean if I wasn't involved, I would let you at least spend the night here, looking like that and everything. But really Norma, what else can you expect. After how everything happened. You're not the type of person to be in a relationship with. You're just...not right. For me I mean. Sorry."

Norma's eyes widened, and she stepped back. She was speechless for a moment and felt her face heat up from the anger that surged through her.

"I'm leaving."

Norma turned away to do just that, when suddenly, her impulsiveness took over. She turned back and punched George right in the nose. He crouched over, moaning in pain.

"Shit," said Norma, holding her right hand, still in a fist, in pain. She wondered if it hurt him as much as it hurt her. Nevertheless, it was worth it.

"How _dare_ you?" she shouted, leaning down to him. "Who do you think you are, telling me whether or not I'm good for one thing or another?" she said in a lower, threatening tone. Norma then noticed blood on the floor, and George was holding his nose, too hurt to speak. There was blood on her knuckles too.

"You broke. My nose," he finally spat out, giving her a venomous look.

"Deal with it," she said calmly, as she straightened up and walked back to her car. She glanced back, and saw a tall woman with long black hair rush to George, helping him up.

"YOUR BOYFRIEND IS AN ASSHOLE!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. The woman with George looked as if she was about to go ballistic, but George slammed the door shut before either she could say anything.

"FUCK YOU!"

Norma didn't even know who she was shouting that to at that point. She opened her car door and got inside and drove away. She parked at a gas station to fill up the car.

Her anger had temporarily left. So now came the next part. Sadness. Norma dropped her head on the center on the steering wheel and started crying.


	4. Chapter 4

Norma hadn't realized she had already spent several minutes in the parking lot crying. She wasn't heartbroken. No, she didn't love George. Or even really saw him in that way. But she was hurt.

"..._Not the type of person to be in a relationship with. You're just...not right. Sorry._"

The words replayed in her head. Maybe he was right. Everything went wrong for her. She deserved better than that. But still, she wondered if she was too broken already. Too messed up. She probably was. Norma wiped her eyes and looked at herself in the car her mirror. She looked red, not pretty anymore, she thought. She reapplied her make up in the car, and forced herself to smile at least once. Afterwards, she entered the gas station.

Just as she stepped inside, Norma stopped right in her tracks. It was the man that she had seen at the market just yesterday, the man she told Alex about. He was eyeing bags of chips and food near the counter. He was a bad person, she could feel it. For a moment, she wondered if she should just leave before he noticed her, but she was probably just being paranoid, like Alex said. So she walked up to the counter.

"Hi, 20 dollars for number 7 please," Norma handed the lady at the register some money. Without turning her head, she glanced towards the man. She looked away quickly as soon as she realized he was glaring at her.

"Here you go," the cashier said as she handed Norma the change.

"Thanks," said Norma got the money and headed out the door hastily. She went back to her car and as she filled up the gas tank, she looked up at the sky. It was cloudy, probably going to rain. Norma hoped the tank would fill up quickly. She wanted to get out of there.

Finally, the tank was full, so Norma put the gas pump back and looked back at the station. The man was coming outside, looking straight at her. Norma opened her car door and drove off as quickly as she could, tires screeching, not looking back. She was going to drive back to the motel, until she checked her rearview mirror along the way. There was a white truck behind her. She couldn't see exactly who was driving, because the windows were so dark. But the truck was right behind her car, the whole way, just following.

"What the hell," she whispered to herself. She was having a shit day.

The road was empty. It wasn't the smartest idea, but she pulled over. The truck literally stopped in the middle of the road behind her. Norma got out of her car, in a rage.

"HEY YOU! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT? I'LL CALL THE DAMN COPS ON YOU!"

About 5 seconds passed, and she fought the urge to walk closer, to make out the driver's face. Suddenly, the car drove off, so fast she couldn't even make out the license plate number.

"What is it, asshole day?!" Norma got back in her car and slammed the door. "Ugh."

Norma was worried she would somehow be followed again, this time to her home. So she decided to drive to the nearest shopping center, and kill some time there and clear her mind.

Once she got there, Norma spent hours looking around the stores and window shopping. She didn't even notice the time slip by. There was no sign of the man or anybody following her. She felt peaceful, and confident again, when she noticed how people kept staring at her in her dress. She stopped at a clothing store and bought a new shirt for Norman. Something she knew he would look so handsome in. Norma smiled to herself, knowing he would love the gesture.

She checked the time on her phone, and noticed it was later than she thought it was. She called Emma, she was at the motel office already. And then she called Norman, telling her she would be home soon.

"I love you," Norma said before hanging up the phone. She decided to make her way back to the car. At the parking lot, it was already starting to rain a little. She hurried to her car and got inside and started driving home, temporarily forgetting that she had intended on changing out of her dress and back into her normal clothes before she got back.

Then Norma remembered. And right when she did, her car suddenly started acting strange. Something was wrong with the engine. Her car stopped in the middle of the empty road. There was nothing but a small sports bar nearby. She was away from most of the city now.

"Wh- Are you kidding me?!"

Norma kept trying to turn on her car again. She turned her keys after a few more times, and it turned on, thankfully long enough for her to park. But it died again right when she pulled over on the side of the road to check her car.

Norma checked her car and had no idea what the problem even was.

"Great. This is just great."

Norma grabbed her purse and locked the car. She decided to walk to the bar that was on the side of the road. Someone there could maybe help her. _This whole day was a bad idea_, she thought to herself.

She walked inside, it was very dark. There were about 5 men inside, and one woman, who was at the bar with the main bartender. One man was turned around, sitting alone on a table. She didn't get a good look at him. The bartender was laughing and talking to the two men at the bar. The woman was sitting down and watching something on tv. When Norma walked in, everyone turned to look at her. She didn't look like the type of person who would be in a sports bar on a rainy evening. Norma pulled her dress down and sat herself down on a corner seat at the bar. The bulky bartender went over to her.

"So, what do you wanna drink?" he said, leaning towards her.

"Hi, I was just wondering if I could get some help with my car?" she said innocently.

The bartender didn't answer and just smiled, looking down at her cleavage. Norma frowned.

"Can you help me?" she said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Stay a while first. What do you wanna drink? First one's one me."

Norma was about to complain, and the bartender noticed this.

"Look outside. Rain got bad just as you walked in. Wait it out a while."

Norma turned and saw he was right. It was pouring hard outside. She shrugged.

"Ok, fine."

"So what do you want, sweetheart?"

"Uh, I don't know," she chuckled nervously. She wasn't really used to being in strange bars, and her mind was set on how long the rain would take to go away.

"How about I make something fancy for you?"

"Ok, sure."

Two minutes later, the bartender put a glass ion the table in front of her.

"What's this?"

"A matador."

"_A matador? _That doesn't sound too good."

He laughed, and Norma chuckled nervously. She picked up the glass and smelled the alcohol a little.

"Let me know if you like it," he said before walking back to the men he had been talking to earlier.

Norma quickly walked to the far corner of the bar, to avoid the noise, and called Norman.

"Hi sweetie, how are you? I'm stuck in a meeting...Ok. Yeah, I know. Can you tell Dylan to maybe order some dinner? I'm so sorry, I really wanted to make it in time to make us some dinner...I know honey, I know. I have a surprise for you," she smiled, remembering the shirt she had bought him. "I'll be home soon...Ok. Bye. I love you."

She went back to her seat and took the glass of alcohol in her hand. She took a sip of the whatever tini the bartender had made her. It was...good. She took a couple of more sips.

"Good, right? It's her favorite," said the bartender signaling at the blonde woman watching the tv.

"It's pretty good," she agreed.

Norma took some more sips, but when she was almost finished she felt herself feeling strange. She wasn't drunk. Norma knew this was something different. She felt herself becoming sluggish as if she were drunk, but she also felt intense...she felt more paranoid and every single noise bothered her. Everything seemed amplified. The worst part though was that she didn't feel in control of herself. Norma panicked. Someone drugged her. Most likely that bartender. She looked at him as he chatted away with the customers. He was going to hurt her. She figured she would try to act like she was still herself and as conscious as possible; this way she wouldn't seem weak and vulnerable. She felt her mind slipping, her body becoming weak. She tried to straighten up her posture and take deep breaths. Norma was wondering how she was going to get out of this situation.

"Police. Sheriff. Alex. Ok yes, Alex," she said under her breath, realizing she was started to speak stupidly too. Norma looked around to make sure no one noticed her going hastily through her purse for her phone.

She took out her phone and called Alex.

"Hello?" said the voice on the other end of the line. Norma was relieved.

"Alex," she sighed. "Don't tell Norman. Or Dylan."

"What's wrong?"

"This thing in my drink..."

"Where are you?"

"Bar. By the road. Car broke."

"Ok, Norma-"

I don't know, I forgot," Norma put her hand on her forehead, she didn't remember today and she was talking like a five year old now. What kind of a day.

"Hello?"

Norma looked at her phone and saw it had died. She sighed, and decided she was going to go to her car. She prayed it would work. She would lock herself in there until the storm was over and she felt better. Just as she stood up, she caught the eye of the man who was alone at the table, and was now looking straight at her. And suddenly she remembered her day. It was the same man. From the gas station, from the market. It was him. When she called Norman, he found a way to drug her. She stumbled, and knocked over the glass in front of her with her hand.

"Don't worry about it, my girl here will clean it up. Leaving so soon?" said the bartender.

Norma looked at the door, and the man was walking towards it. He went outside and lit a cigarette, pacing around. As if waiting for her. His expression even looked like a satisfied one. She looked past him and saw the white truck. It was him all along.

"I need to use the ladies room."

The bartender signaled to a hall on the right. Norma looked at the man outside, and immediately rushed down the hall when she saw he wasn't looking, without saying anything to the bartender.

"Cute. But nutty," said the bartender to the men at the bar he was talking to, staring after her.

Norma noticed that at the end of the hall there weren't just restrooms but an exit door. She could simply go out the back door and go to her car, hopefully without the man noticing. She wanted to rush to her car because she felt herself getting worse.

She opened the back door quietly and shut it as she went outside. It was pouring. The water was freezing. The rain was really not helping right now, she sound of it bothered her, rung in her ears, and the water was blurring her vision. She forgot where her car even was, or where she was at. She looked to her left and she was pretty sure she could see it in the distance. Norma made her way towards the car, getting closer to the road. She tripped as she was making her way over, and looked back, thankfully no sign of the man following her. She turned towards the road and sighed as she saw Alex's truck approach. She had never felt more relieved. An adrenaline rush went through her, and she ran straight at the road, running in front of the truck. If Alex didn't had good reflexes, he might not have braked in time.


	5. Chapter 5

_REAL QUICK I just want to thank everyone who has faved, followed, reviewed! I appreciate it SO much. It really makes me happy to see that people enjoy the stuff I write. __Plus, it's great connecting with other Bates Motel fans. Hope you continue to like my work! Here we go, ch 5 finally up._

...

Alex Romero had almost just reached the bar when he saw Norma basically come out of nowhere and run in front of his view. He immediately stopped the car and got out. The rain drenched him as soon as he did. He hurried over to Norma.

"Norma," he put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. She was clumsy and sluggish. "What happened?"

"Why are you shouting at me?!" she yelled, and then covered her ears. "Ow."

"Are you hurt?" he asked as he observed her, checking for wounds.

Norma nodded that she wasn't, looking at him hazily. Alex took her hand when he noticed what looked like some blood on it. The rain had gotten rid of most of it but there was still some noticeable blood there.

"It's nothing," she said in a soft voice, and he let go of her hand hesitantly. He would ask her again later.

"Ok, you're going to be fine. Comon, I'll take you home."

He took her arm and she yanked it away.

"What if he's there? That guy? In your car?"

Whatever they gave to Norma was really having an effect on her. And whoever gave it to her was going to pay. But right now Alex was only concerned for her safety.

"It's just you and me, Norma. Ok?"

"I don't know."

"Trust me."

Norma looked into his eyes and nodded.

"Ok," she smiled a little.

Alex couldn't help but smile back, something he would've avoided doing if she wasn't so out of it to notice. He put his hand on her back and led her to his car, where he opened the door and helped her in. Then he walked to the other side of the car and got inside the driver's seat.

Norma carelessly dropped her purse on the floor and then looked outside the window, searching for the man.

"Tell me how you feel," he said, in a lower tone, turning to his right to look at her.

"Tired, weak, sensitive. Sounds are everywhere...It's worse."

"It'll pass." Alex tried to remain as calm as possible. He would take care of everything else later. Right now he had to make sure she was ok. Alex took off his jacket and put it over Norma's cold body.

"Mm, it smells like you."

"I hope that's a good thing."

"It's not a bad thing," she smirked.

The sky was so dark and grey, the water still pouring hard. Norma leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. She seemed so tired, and the way she was being affected by what she drank at that bar, Alex knew she needed some sleep. He leaned over Norma to adjust her seat back so she would be more comfortable before he started driving. She had said the jacket smelled like him, but now being leaned over her, all he could smell was her perfume and it was intoxicating the whole car. Right when he adjusted her seat, her eyes shot open and she tugged at his uniform with her right hand, pulling him close to her face.

"You didn't tell did you?"

Alex looked at Norma's eyes and blanked out as to what she was even talking about, distracted by her scent and the alcohol she probably tasted like. He looked down at her lips and then back at her eyes. Her face was flushed, and he liked how she looked that way. The worst thoughts at the worst moments, he reminded himself.

"Did you?"

"No, no," he said softly, realizing she was talking about if she had told Norman or Dylan.

She nodded, still grasping his clothes. "Ok," Norma said, almost in a whisper. She looked at him with a pleading expression, and Alex found it hard to pull away. He wanted to kiss her and run his hands over her waist and legs and pull up her dress. He wanted to do everything with her.

Norma let go of him and closed her eyes again.

"The motel? Your room? I can't go home yet like this..."

"Yeah," responded Alex, as he pulled himself away. "But I need you to show me who did this to you."

"He's there," she said softly. "White truck at the bar."

Norma looked out the window, squinting. The truck wasn't there anymore.

"He's gone."

Alex made a mental note to himself to go back to bar tomorrow and to find the truck. He would find the man. He drove back to the motel and Norma fell asleep on the way.


	6. Chapter 6

Alex parked right in front of his room. He turned off the car, sighed, and looked over at Norma. She was still asleep, but kept tossing and turning, uneasy.

Alex cleared his throat.

"Norma. We're here."

He waited a moment, and then stepped out. It was still raining hard. He walked to his room and unlocked the door, then went back to open the car door on Norma's side. He picked her up and carried her inside the room. Alex slowly put her down on the bed and locked the door quietly to not wake her. He wondered what to do. She had told him to take her to his room for a reason. To keep her there until she felt better, so her sons wouldn't find out. That was important to her. Why? He wasn't going to get into it now. Alex contemplated how long it would take her to recover.

Alex remembered how he had wanted to see Norma with her hair wet. And now, there she was on a bed, completely soaked. Her dress clung to her body. Norma moaned a little and started sitting up on the bed, which was now soaked. His jacket fell next to her her on the bed as she sat up. Norma rubbed her eyes and stared down at the mattress. Then she looked back at Alex in a sort of daze.

"Thanks, Sheriff," she gave a small smile.

Alex walked up in front of her. She still wasn't completely ok yet, but maybe she was well enough that she could tell him exactly what had happened.

"I need you to tell me what happened today."

"That market guy."

"How much did you drink?"

"One," she answered.

Norma frowned as if in pain, and then looked up at Alex.

"You're soaked! You need to get out of this." she said suddenly standing up in front of him, while trying to gain some balance.

"I could say the same about you," he said, taking a step back and leaning back a little, trying to avoid her getting too close. She stepped forward and he went to place his hand on the table next to the bed as he stepped back again, but instead accidentally knocked over the lamp.

"Shit."

Alex was about to turn to pick up the lamp, but Norma giggled and pulled him by his shirt back towards her. She casually went to work at unbuttoning his uniform.

"Really, need to get out of this," she said, a serious expression on her face, as she clumsily tried to continue unbuttoning his uniform shirt.

Alex tried to pull her hands away.

"Don't. Don't do that right now."

"Why not? Do you want to catch pneumonia?"

"I'm not going to catch pneumonia. Don't do that right now."

"Why? You know me and I've done your laundry. It's not like it's weird or anything."

Norma ignored him and shoved his hands away, already focusing on the third button. Alex grasped her wrists and firmly pushed her body back on the bed with own, getting on the bed with her. His knees were now on the bed, between her legs, something he hadn't intended. He had her wrists pinned on either side of her head. He looked at her straight in the face. Alex felt warm all over, realizing he shouldn't have allowed his body so close to hers. It felt like there was some kind of overwhelming heat radiating off of her and latching on to him.

"Relax, alright Norma?" he said, trying to calm himself down at the same time.

Norma stayed there with an unreadable expression on her face. He looked down and saw that her dress had been pulled up more when he had planted her on the bed and rested between her. Her thighs were almost fully exposed, and he saw a large scar on one of them. He wondered how she got that. His mind was blurred by his wanting of her, and she was right there, completely, flaws and all. His eyes traveled back to her face, knowing he shouldn't have been looking there in the first place.

"I'm sorry," he said to her, and he let go of her wrists. Instinctively, he brushed some of her blonde locks out of her face, still leaned over her.

"It's so cold," she said softly, looking up at him.

Alex nodded and stood up from the bed. He took a t shirt he had in his drawers and handed it to her as she sat up on the bed.

"That's all I have. At least it's dry."

"Thanks." She stood up in front of Alex and turned around.

"Can you unzip it?"

Alex moved towards her and hesitantly obliged. He pulled down the zipper of her dress slowly, trying not to touch her skin.

"So why was there blood on your hand?"

Norma paused for a moment before answering him.

"What was it that you said? Had to kick the shit out of something," she said, laughing softly.

Alex smiled and finished unzipping her. As soon as he did, Norma slipped out of her dress in front of him and kicked off her heels, leaving her undergarments on and putting on the t shirt Alex had given her.

"I need to get home when this wears out...Wake me up soon." she said as she lied back on the dry side of the bed.

"Ok."

Norma eyes were already almost fully closed, but she reached next to her and put on the jacket Alex had given her earlier for more warmth. He smirked at how small she looked wearing all that bulky clothes. He pulled the covers over her and Norma almost immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Alex made some phone calls to the police department to have them look up the white trucks in the area, and he arranged to have Norma's car taken back to the motel before the night was over. After a quick shower, he sat down on the chair of the room, deciding to wait a little more to wake Norma up. She was in too deep a sleep to be woken up and she needed the rest. Alex felt himself becoming more and more tired.


End file.
